Crisp Cider Braised Pork Belly Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325˚F (160˚C).
• Cut the pork belly in half crosswise and place in a Dutch oven or large oven-safe pot.
• In a large bowl, combine the salt, sugar, pepper, star anise, garlic, bay leaves, soy sauce, apple cider vinegar, and water. Whisk until the salt and sugar have dissolved.
• Pour the braising liquid over the pork belly. Cover the pork belly with a sheet of parchment paper, then tightly cover the pot with a sheet of aluminum foil. Bake for 2-2½ hours, until the pork is tender but not falling apart.
• Remove the pork belly from the braising liquid and transfer to a wire rack set over a baking sheet. Chill uncovered in the refrigerator overnight.
• Make the adobo sauce: In a medium saucepan over low heat, combine the water, soy sauce, sugar, canola oil, bay leaf powder, black pepper, garlic, coconut vinegar, and coconut milk. Simmer for 15-20 minutes. Remove the sauce from the heat and reserve until ready to use.
• Remove the pork belly from the refrigerator and cut it into approximately 8 5-ounce (140 g) pieces. Score the pork by slicing through the fat cap, stopping once you reach the meat, in ½-inch (1 cm) sections.
• Fill a large pot halfway with the oil and heat until it reaches 375˚F (190˚C).
• Fry the pork belly until the skin is crispy and the center is hot, about 8 minutes.
• Slice the pork belly between the scores.
• To serve, ladle some adobo sauce on the bottom of a serving bowl. Arrange a portion of pork belly on top and garnish with a poached egg, Szechuan pepper, scallions, fried garlic, and cilantro. Serve with Jasmine rice alongside.
• Enjoy!

Steps:

• For the pork belly: Pat the skin of the pork belly completely dry. Using a sharp knife, cut parallel lines across the skin and fat, about a 1/2 inch apart, making sure not to cut down into the meat.
• Mix the salt, baking powder and pepper in a small bowl. Rub the pork all over with the salt mixture, making sure to get it into the grooves on the skin. Place the pork skin-side up on a rack in a roasting pan. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours and up to 24 hours (see Cook's Note).
• About an hour before cooking the pork, allow it to come to room temperature.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Pour 4 cups of water into the roasting pan with the pork (this will prevent the drippings from burning). Cook until the meat is tender but not falling apart, about 3 hours.
• For the cabbage: Meanwhile, add the cabbage, vinegar, jam, sugar and salt to a large high-sided skillet and mix to combine. Cover, place over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally to make sure the cabbage is not browning, until softened and no longer crisp, about 20 minutes. The cabbage will release some moisture, but if it starts to stick to the bottom of the skillet or seems dry, add water 1 tablespoon at a time to moisten. Keep warm.
• For the potatoes: Put the potatoes in a medium pot, cover with water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook until the potatoes are tender but not too soft, about 15 minutes. Drain into a colander and set aside for about 10 minutes. When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, peel them with your hands or a paring knife.
• Meanwhile, add the sugar to a large skillet and set over medium heat. Cook, without stirring, until the sugar is completely melted, about 3 minutes. When the edges start to turn brown, after about another 3 minutes, add the butter and kosher salt. Using a rubber spatula, stir carefully to combine. Continue to cook until the mixture is amber, about 5 minutes. Add the potatoes and cook, stirring gently to coat them with the browned sugar, until heated through, about 4 minutes. (Don't worry if the sugar hardens when you first add the potatoes; it will melt again.) Sprinkle with flaky sea salt before serving.
• After the pork belly has cooked for 3 hours, increase the oven temperature to 475 degrees F and continue to cook until the skin is crisp and brown, about 20 minutes more. Let rest for 15 minutes before slicing. Serve with the cabbage and potatoes.

Steps:

• Day 1: Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/ gas 4. Place all the ingredients except the pork and sunflower oil in a flameproof pan that will fit the pork snugly - a casserole dish is ideal. Season, bring everything to the boil then turn down the heat and slide the pork into the pan. The pork should be totally submerged - if it isn't, top up with water. Cover the dish with a lid or tight tent of foil and place it in the oven for 3 hrs undisturbed.
• When the pork is cooked, leave it to cool slightly in the stock. Line a flat baking tray with cling film. Carefully lift the pork into the tray and make sure you get rid of any bits of vegetables or herbs as they will end up pressed into the pork. Cover the pork with another sheet of cling film and cover with a flat tray or dish - the tray must be completely flat as any indentations will be pressed into the pork. Weigh the pork down with another dish or some cans and leave to cool in the fridge overnight. Strain the juices into a jug or small saucepan, cover and chill.
• Day 2: Unwrap the pork and place on a board. Trim the uneven edges so that you have a neat sheet of meat. Cut the meat into 4 equal pieces and set aside until ready to cook. Lift off any bits of fat from the braising juices and tip what will now be jelly into a saucepan, then bubble down by about two-thirds until starting to become slightly syrupy. Add a few more drops of vinegar, to taste.
• Heat the oil in a large frying pan until hot, then turn the heat down. Add the pork to the pan, skin-side down - be careful as it has a tendency to spit. Sizzle the pork as you would bacon for 5 mins until the skin is crisp. Flip it over and cook for 3-4 mins until browned. Place a small pile of cabbage on the side of each plate and sit a piece of pork on top. Place a spoonful of mash on the other side of the plate, drizzle over the sauce and serve.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 200 degrees F (95 degrees C).
• Season pork belly all over with smoked paprika, salt, and black pepper. Wrap pork in parchment paper; wrap a second time in aluminum foil, and a third time in another sheet of aluminum foil. Place pork packet in a baking dish.
• Roast in the preheated oven until tender for 6 hours. Let cool in wrappings to room temperature; place cooled packet in refrigerator and chill for 8 hours or overnight.
• Unwrap chilled meat. Save any rendered fat that falls away when unwrapping pork.
• Cut meat into 6 equal-size portions. Cut 1/8-inch by 1/8-inch slashes in the fat-side of the pork. Season with salt.
• Heat 2 tablespoons reserved pork fat in a skillet over medium heat. Place pork belly, fat side down, in hot fat; cook until well-browned on all sides and heated through, 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer pork belly to a plate, drizzle with olive oil and season with pepper.

Steps:

• Combine all the ingredients in a bowl. Massage the rub all over the pork belly, then cover and refrigerate for 24 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Remove the belly from the refrigerator. Coat a large straight-sided pan with olive oil and put over medium-high heat. Add the onion, celery, fennel, and garlic. Season the vegetables with crushed red pepper and salt, to taste. Cook the vegetables until they start to soften and become very aromatic, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the wine and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the mustard and 2 cups of the chicken stock. Taste to make sure it is delicious. Add the pork belly and toss in the thyme and bay leaves. Cover and put in the preheated oven. Braise the belly for 6 hours, checking occasionally. If the liquid level goes down add the remaining stock.
• When the belly is done it will be very tender and succulent. Remove the lid and set the oven to broil. Broil the pork belly until it turns golden, about 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and transfer the belly, from the braising liquid, to a cutting board. Cut the belly into 6 or 8 equal portions depending on your appetite. Arrange the pork on a serving platter and ladle the braising liquid on top.

Steps:

• Put oven rack in lower third of oven and preheat oven to 350°F.
• Pat pork dry and sprinkle all over with salt. Heat olive oil in pot over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown pork on all sides, about 10 minutes total. Transfer to a plate. Add carrots, celery, and onion to pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 10 minutes. Return pork to pot, along with bay leaves, spices, and water, and bring to a simmer. Cover pot with lid, then transfer to oven and braise, turning pork over once, until center is tender but not falling apart when pierced with a paring knife, 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
• Transfer pork to a cutting board and keep warm, loosely covered with foil. Pour braising liquid through a sieve into a bowl, discarding solids. Skim off fat and keep liquid warm, covered.
• Cut meat across the grain into 6 slices (each slice may break into 2 or 3 smaller pieces, depending on part of shoulder you have; discard string if necessary). Heat vegetable oil in a 12-inch heavy nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sear pork slices in 2 batches, turning over once, about 3 minutes per batch. Transfer to plates as browned and spoon some braising liquid over pork. Serve with remaining braising liquid.